Hispanic Studies Major Concentration (B.A.) (36 credits)
Offered by: Languages,Literatures,Cultures (Faculty of Arts)
Degree: Bachelor of Arts; Bachelor of Arts and Science
Program credit weight: 36
Program Description
The Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures – Hispanic Studies offers courses in the literature, intellectual history, and civilization of Spain and Latin America, as well as in the Spanish language. The Department's undergraduate and graduate programs are committed to expanding the liberal arts background of students by helping to develop the skills of communication and critical reasoning, and by providing insight into the culture of other regional, linguistic, and national groups. Enrichment in these areas reduces provincialism and broadens intellectual horizons, regardless of the professional interests or fields of specialization that may guide students in other facets of their university education.
McGill University has bilateral exchange agreements with the Universidad de Salamanca (Spain), the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, and the Universidad de las Américas, Puebla (Mexico), as well as with other leading universities in the Spanish and Portuguese-speaking world which allow student and faculty exchanges, and other collaborative ventures. Further information about these exchanges may be obtained from the Department or from the International Education website.
Degree Requirements — B.A. students
To be eligible for a B.A. degree, a student must fulfil all Faculty and program requirements as indicated in Degree Requirements for the Faculty of Arts.
We recommend that students consult an Arts OASIS advisor for degree planning.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Complementary Courses
36 credits selected as follows:
Language and Civilization
0-18 credits in Language and Civilization from:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HISP 210D1 | Spanish Language: Beginners. | 3 |
Spanish Language: Beginners. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A comprehensive first-level course focusing on all oral and written skills. An introduction to the fundamentals of Spanish grammar and syntax and to Hispanic culture. | ||
| HISP 210D2 | Spanish Language: Beginners. | 3 |
Spanish Language: Beginners. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. See HISP 210D1 for course description. | ||
| HISP 218 | Spanish Language Intensive - Elementary. | 6 |
Spanish Language Intensive - Elementary. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A comprehensive first-level course focusing upon all oral and written skills. An introduction to the fundamentals of Spanish grammar and syntax and to Hispanic culture. | ||
| HISP 219 | Spanish Language Intensive - Intermediate. | 6 |
Spanish Language Intensive - Intermediate. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A thorough review of Spanish grammar with emphasis upon current usage. Enrichment of all language skills, with a goal of proficiency in written and oral communication, through readings in the literature and civilization of Spain and Spanish America. | ||
| HISP 220D1 | Spanish Language: Intermediate. | 3 |
Spanish Language: Intermediate. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A thorough review of Spanish grammar with emphasis upon current usage. Enrichment of all language skills, with a goal of proficiency in written and oral communication, through readings in the literature and civilization of Spain and Spanish America. | ||
| HISP 220D2 | Spanish Language: Intermediate. | 3 |
Spanish Language: Intermediate. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A thorough review of Spanish grammar with emphasis upon current usage. Enrichment of all language skills, with a goal of proficiency in written and oral communication, through readings in the literature and cultural aspects of Spain and Spanish America. | ||
| HISP 225 | Hispanic Civilization 1. | 3 |
Hispanic Civilization 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A survey of historical and cultural elements which constitute the background of the Hispanic world up to the 18th century; a survey of the pre-Columbian indigenous civilizations (Aztec, Maya and Inca) and the conquest of America. | ||
| HISP 226 | Hispanic Civilization 2. | 3 |
Hispanic Civilization 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A survey of the constitution of the ideological and political structures of the Spanish Empire in both Europe and America until the Wars of Independence; a survey of the culture and history of the Hispanic people from the early 19th Century to the present. | ||
Introductory Courses
6 - 12 credits in Introductory courses from:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HISP 245 | Introduction to Hispanic Literature | 3 |
Introduction to Hispanic Literature Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Topics in Spanish and Latin American narrative, essay, poetry, theater and art, including advanced skills in Spanish reading, listening, speaking, and writing. | ||
| HISP 246 | Contemporary Issues in the Hispanic World | 3 |
Contemporary Issues in the Hispanic World Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Topics in current social, political, and cultural issues in Latin America and Spain, including advanced skills in Spanish reading, listening, speaking, and writing. | ||
| HISP 247 | Introduction to Hispanic Popular Cultures | 3 |
Introduction to Hispanic Popular Cultures Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Topics in Spanish and Latin American popular music, art, film, textual, fashion, food and digital cultures, including advanced skills in Spanish reading, listening, speaking,and writing. | ||
| HISP 248 | Introduction to Hispanic Cinema | 3 |
Introduction to Hispanic Cinema Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Topics in Spanish and Latin American film, including advanced skills in Spanish reading, listening, speaking, and writing. | ||
Hispanic Literature and Culture
6-30 credits from the following with a minimum of 6 credits at the 400 level or above:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HISP 320 | Contemporary Brazilian Literature and Film. | 3 |
Contemporary Brazilian Literature and Film. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course introduces students to Brazilian literature and film from the early 20th century to the present day. Students will examine literary works and films from a historical perspective, studying the social, political and regional processes in which they are embedded. From the barren Northeast, to an analysis of gender and race, to urban violence and its manifestations to the contemporary cityscape, this course covers a range of visual and textual material. Students will engage works from major Brazilian authors and filmmakers in conjunction with theoretical texts to better understand some of the main developments in contemporary cultural production. | ||
| HISP 325 | Spanish Novel of the 19th Century. | 3 |
Spanish Novel of the 19th Century. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The Romantic, Realist and Naturalist novel in Spain, with special emphasis on the development of the Spanish novel in relation to contemporary trends in other European countries. | ||
| HISP 326 | Spanish Romanticism. | 3 |
Spanish Romanticism. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The aesthetic and historical development of Romanticism, with special emphasis on lyric poetry and drama. | ||
| HISP 328 | Literature of Ideas: Latin America. | 3 |
Literature of Ideas: Latin America. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Critical reading and discussion of works of outstanding thinkers as a key to understanding the cultural development of a continent. | ||
| HISP 332 | Latin American Literature of 19th Century. | 3 |
Latin American Literature of 19th Century. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An intensive study of representative authors from the period of Independence to the advent of Modernism. | ||
| HISP 333 | Theatre, Performance and Politics in Latin America. | 3 |
Theatre, Performance and Politics in Latin America. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A study of the outstanding works of the theatre from the colonial period to the present, including pre-Columbian works. | ||
| HISP 335 | Politics and Poetry in Latin America. | 3 |
Politics and Poetry in Latin America. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An examination of Latin American poetry as ithas been used for the expression of racialpolitics, government and economic oppression,identity and gender politics, revolution andactivism. | ||
| HISP 340 | Latin American Cinema. | 3 |
Latin American Cinema. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A study of representative films, directors and movements of the region. Topic specified by instructor. | ||
| HISP 341 | Spanish Cinema. | 3 |
Spanish Cinema. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A study of representative films, directors and movements of the region. Topic specified by instructor. | ||
| HISP 345 | Contemporary Hispanic Cultural Studies. | 3 |
Contemporary Hispanic Cultural Studies. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course examines contemporary Hispanic Cultural Studies looking at both cultural artifacts and diverse theoretical and methodological approaches. In doing so, it will introduce students to the frameworks necessary for approaching contemporary culture in the Hispanic World. The course will be mindful of issues including ideology, class, race, ethnicity and sexuality. Students will come into contact with the major cultural theorists in the Hispanic World and those issues pertinent to the study of culture. | ||
| HISP 352 | Latin American Novel. | 3 |
Latin American Novel. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Critical reading and discussion of contemporary Spanish-American fiction writers. | ||
| HISP 356 | Latin American Short Story. | 3 |
Latin American Short Story. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Study of style, tendencies and types as reflected in the evolution of this genre, and seen against the background of a developing continent. | ||
| HISP 357 | Latin American Digital Literature and Culture. | 3 |
Latin American Digital Literature and Culture. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course will examine digital cultural production in Latin America from 1990 to the present day. This course introduces students to theoretical frameworks necessary for approaching new media and web-based cultural artifacts, both literary and visual. Students will come into contact with the major writers, artists and web-based cultural producers in Latin America and issues pertinent to the study of the Web in the region. | ||
| HISP 358 | Gender and Textualities. | 3 |
Gender and Textualities. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Historical development and literary tendencies regarding gender and sexuality in Hispanic literature, film, and culture. | ||
| HISP 432 | Literature - Discovery and Exploration Spain New World. | 3 |
Literature - Discovery and Exploration Spain New World. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A study of the primary literary and intellectual developments stemming from Spain's discovery of the Americas. Special attention will be given to the changing perception of the New World's natural resources and indigenous peoples as this is reflected in the literature of the period. | ||
| HISP 437 | Colonial / Postcolonial Latin America. | 3 |
Colonial / Postcolonial Latin America. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A study of the dialogue between colonial and postcolonial Latin American texts and theories. | ||
| HISP 438 | Topics: Spanish Literature. | 3 |
Topics: Spanish Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Specific topics of interest in Spanish literature. | ||
| HISP 439 | Topics: Latin American Literature. | 3 |
Topics: Latin American Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Specific topics of interest in Spanish-American literature. | ||
| HISP 451 | Don Quixote. | 3 |
Don Quixote. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Course on the canonical work by Cervantes, Don Quixote. The course will focus on the first modern novel as well as on a number of critical readings. | ||
| HISP 454 | Major Figures: Spanish Literature and Culture. | 3 |
Major Figures: Spanish Literature and Culture. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Specific figures of interest in Spanish literature. | ||
| HISP 455 | Major Figures: Latin American Literature and Culture. | 3 |
Major Figures: Latin American Literature and Culture. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Specific figures of interest in Spanish-American literature. | ||
| HISP 458 | Golden Age Literature: Renaissance. | 3 |
Golden Age Literature: Renaissance. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A comprehensive examination of the poetry, prose and drama of the Renaissance in Spain through representative authors. | ||
| HISP 505 | Seminar in Hispanic Studies 01. | 3 |
Seminar in Hispanic Studies 01. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A team-taught seminar examining major issues in Hispanic letters that transcend national literatures and historical periods. Although the specific topics will vary, each will address broad questions of a diachronic nature, thereby permitting an understanding of literary schools and movements, genres or ideologies present throughout the Hispanic world. | ||
Note: No more than 12 credits in courses taught in English shall count towards the Major.